Welcome

Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and
others concerned about HIV/AIDS. Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the
conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning: Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive
and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a
username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own
physician.

All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators
of these forums. Click here for “Am I Infected?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please
provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are
true and correct to their knowledge.

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the
symbol in each box.

Welcome to Am I Infected

Welcome to the "Am I Infected?" POZ forum.

New members -- those who have posted three or fewer messages -- are permitted to post questions and responses, free of charge (make them count!). Ongoing participation in the "Am I Infected?" forum -- posting more than three questions or responses -- requires a paid subscription.

A seven-day subscription is $9.99, a 30-day subscription is $14.99 and a 90-day subscription is $24.99.

Anyone who needs to post more than three messages in the "Am I Infected?" forum -- including past, present and future POZ Forums members -- will need to subscribe, with secure payments made via PayPal.

There will be no charge to continue reading threads in the "Am I Infected?" forum, nor will there be a charge for participating in any of the Main Forums; Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits; and Off Topic Forums. Similarly, all POZ pages, including our "HIV Transmission and Risks" and "Am I Infected? (A Guide to Testing for HIV)" basics, will remain accessible to all.

NOTE: HIV testing questions will still need to be posted in the "Am I Infected?" forum; attempts to post HIV symptoms or testing questions in any other forums will be considered violations of our rules of membership and subject to time-outs and permanent bans.

To learn how to upgrade your Forums account to participate beyond three posts in the "Am I Infected?" Forum, please click here.

Thank you for your understanding and future support of the best online support service for people living with, affected by and at risk for HIV.

Author
Topic: Is it safe to have unprotected sex with my girlfriend? (Read 2267 times)

A couple nights ago I found myself in a very shady area of town surrounded by some very shady people. Stupidly, I ended up sharing a bong with a couple people who were probably injection drug users. Needless to say, the bong wasn't cleaned in between uses, so there was probably trace amounts of saliva on it. I happened to have a large crack in my lip that wasn't bleeding, but was big nevertheless. I'm worried that someone else's saliva, saliva from an injection drug user, came into contact with the crack in my lip. I am so angry at myself over this incident because I try so hard to use safe sex practices, and now I potentially have HIV from this. My main questions are: 1. should I get tested, and 2. Is it okay for me to continue to have unprotected sex with my girlfriend (we have both been tested negative and are in a very loving, monogomous relationship). Thanks for the help.

HIV is not transmitted in this way at all. No need to test over this non-incident.

Logged

LIFE is not a race to the grave with the intention of arriving safelyin a pretty and well-preserved body, but, rather to skid in broadside,thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming--WOW! WHAT ARIDE!!!

Um....put down the bong for a bit and have a read through the Lessons section of this site here. No, you don't need to get tested over this incident. You can't get HIV from sharing a bong. Period. HIV is actually a rather difficult to transmit virus that gets passed WITHIN the body. As for the continued unprotected sex thing with the GF, that is a call to make between the two of you. As the Goddess Ann would say, "To consent to have unprotected sex with another person is to consent to the possibility of contracting and HIV or other sexually transmitted disease". That is a form of emotional contract you and the girlfriend willl have to continue to work out between yourselves. You won't pass HIV along through this incident, though.

As you have been told correctly, the bong incident did not in any way put you at risk for HIV transmission.

However, you and your gf should not be having unprotected intercourse unless you have both tested negative together at a reliable testing point AND you are both in agreement to be in a securely committed relationship. Otherwise you should always be using condoms, no matter whom you are with when you have intercourse.